Combating Confabulation
February 28, 2016 14:47

To combat the negative affects of confabulation. students can ask for clarification during instruction to be sure they are receiving the information in the manner it was intended.

Reviewing all graded work for what was marked wrong and asking the teacher why the problems were incorrect will help clarify thinking.

It isn't enough to tell students to ask for clarification. They need strong model questions to use to clear up confusion. The following are questions I trained my daughters and students to use to get the support they needed and to be sure they were receiving the information in the way it was intended:

"Am I correct to believe that you said...............?"

"Can you show me where I went wrong on this question?"

"Is there another way to show me how to do this problem? I am not making sense of it, and I want to be sure I am understanding the instruction."

"Am I correct the you want us to ............. for this project?"

Do a sample of what the project looks like

When a paper comes back incorrect, the student can always say,"I think I must have been confabulating and I thought you meant...... Will you show me where I went wrong/"

Each situation will require a different type of question. Brainstorming with students how they could ask supporting questions will help fill their backpacks with questions they can use later as situations occur.

Simply sharing the meaning of confabulation and how the brain can cause a misunderstanding for them will encourage students to ask questions when they otherwise would be embarrassed. Overcoming the fear of asking questions will be addressed later.